Happy Birthday, Bo!

A few weeks back, we ventured to Athens to help celebrate Bo's 3rd birthday.

The girls love those Little boys....

They say it will be a big baby

Pic above: Vaughan on her birthday in 2007

Two weeks until Baby #3 arrives in this world and I had my suspicions that this baby was big. Of course, after Ellery - topping the scales at 5 1/2 lbs - almost any baby seems big. Vaughan entered the world a full two pounds heavier than her sister - thank goodness - because, let's be honest, skinny babies are sort of sad.

Every week I go to the doctor and proclaim - this baby HAS to be big. And every week, they say you look great, you are measuring on target. On target - that cannot be possible. This baby is BIG.

Today, my suspicions were confirmed. I tried to get my doctor to guess how big the baby would be and she said, "let's go get an ultrasound and see." The ultrasound estimated the baby to weigh 8 1/2 lbs NOW! HELLO BIG BABY. The technician did say that the ultrasound tends to overestimate by 6-8 ounces. That still makes this an 8 pound baby. I guess in a few weeks we will see how accurate that ultrasound was.

And - I would scan in the ultrasound -- but if I did you would look at it in confusion. Where are the eyes, is that the nose, are you having an alien?

Barbies

Our girls have become Barbie obsessed. I mean WAY obsessed. They insist on having at least 15 in the tub with them each night. They act out scenes, they have their barbies fight, and occasionally have their babies go on dates.

Alan wondered a while back if we should "worry" about the barbies dating. You know, maybe talk to the girls about dating, how old you have to be to date, etc. I told him not to worry.

Then I saw this.....

Ken - there he was with his pants around his knees, his bottom in the air, and his head turned 180 degrees.

Maybe we should be worried after all.

Cirque du Soleil

I think we may have a future Cirque Du Soleil star on our hands. What do you think?

Happy Father's Day

We are so lucky to be surrounded by the two best father's. PopPop and Daddy - Happy Father's Day. Thanks for all that you do - each and every day!

An interview with Ellery:

What do you like to do with Daddy? I like to play with him in the pool.

Where does Daddy work? Balentine

What does he do there? He works.

What's your favorite song that Daddy sings? I don't have one because he never really sings that long. So, I think there are no favorites.

What do you like best about Daddy? How he is so tall because sometimes he lets me do piggy back rides and it is really fun.

And to the nicest man in America. Thanks for being such a fabulous father and grandfather.

Swimming

The month of June is all about swimming these days. First, because given the recent temperatures it is one of the only ways to stay cool. Second, because Ellery has been doing swim team.

There have been challenges. Swim practice is every day at 9:30AM for 30 minutes. Making that takes quite a bit of motivation from child and mother. Some days, she is excited to get into the pool....other days I feel like I am bribing her just to get her swimsuit on.

Here she is goggles on, ready to dive in.

A few weeks ago, she had her first swim meet. We were all a bit anxious. Was she really willing to "dive" in and race across the pool? Would she make it across? She was swimming freestyle and backstroke -- does she even know backstroke?

It turns out our worries were pretty unfounded. She did a great job and walked away with a ribbon and a necklace (what more could a 4 year old want?)

P.S. - check out the red nail polish.....it is important to swim in style ladies!

The cutest baby bloomers

So I happened upon this website a few days ago. Have you heard of Rickshaw Design? If not - you should go check them out. I love their patterns and there are more than a few items on this site that I could purchase.

But, these bloomers....these bloomers are to die for.

The patterns remind me of Roberta Roller Rabbit.

If you aren't familiar with my friend Roberta -- head on over there too. They have cutest cover-ups for kids.

Our girls have the cover-ups and they love them. Vaughan has this one:

So fitting - seeing as how she acts more like a monkey than a little girl these days!

Hot, hot, hot and a diving board too

Please take a look at that weather image again....it says it feels 100 degrees out at 7PM. 7PM!

It is suddenly seriously hot here. I mean the kind of hot that takes your breath away. The kind of hot that forces you to either be inside or at the pool.

Unfortunately, my kids aren't exactly the indoor type. Believe me - I am trying....begging, bribing, anything to get them interested in staying inside and watching t.v., a movie - WHATEVER. So far it isn't working. They seem to be impervious to the heat. Given I am less than a month away from delivering Baby #3 - I seem to be intolerable of the heat. This is not an ideal combination.


So, despite the fact that I am ripe with this baby....I squeeze myself into a swimsuit and take the girls to the pool. It isn't pretty - believe me. But it is a necessary component of survival these days. Of course, once I am in the pool - I feel great. Not much feels better when you are 9 months pregnant than a pool, right?

OK - so back to the image above....Ellery has taken to the pool like a fish this summer. Not only has her swimming improved but she has also taken a liking to the diving board. Up until yesterday, she stuck to the low diving board. Well, she did try the high dive once....it ended with Alan climbing up to rescue her.

Yesterday was different! She begged to go off of the high dive. We relented and much to our surprise, she climbed up with confidence and jumped off without any hesitation. Her sweet head emerged from the pool with the biggest grin! SUCCESS! And then, of course, about 10 more jumps off of the board.

8 Years Ago Today

Eight years ago today, I embarked on what has been a magical journey. I am grateful every single day for having a considerate, kind and intelligent partner by my side. I know I often times take him for granted - but I also regularly remind him, just how much I appreciate everything he does for me and the girls. Specifically...

• He empties the dishwasher EVERY morning
• He does the dishes every night
• He always takes out the trash (he also hauls it to and from the street on garbage day)
• I often find him putting away the laundry without even being asked
• He constantly tidies up the kitchen, house, kids toys, etc.
• He files away all of our important paper and bills (and he has labeled all of our files and folders!)
• He gets up with the girls every day during the week, feeds them, and let's me sleep in until he has to leave for work

And while I appreciate all of this and all of the other things he does that I have not mentioned, I am most appreciative of his love for me and the girls. He is sometimes short on patience, but he is completely self aware and is always seeking to be a better father and husband. He sets the bar high.

Happy Anniversary, Alan. I love you!

The BEST cookie

When pregnant, one is often asked the same questions over and over. When are you due, do you know the sex, how are you feeling, do you have a name yet, any cravings? Here are the answers:

• When are you due? July 12th - scheduled c-section, although the other two came on their own time.
• Do you know the sex? Not now but we will in a few weeks. Not knowing for Ellery and Vaughan truly was one of life's greatest surprises. These days I am thinking girl though -- for the record.
• How are you feeling? I can't complain. I feel pretty darn fantastic. My biggest complaints have been some insomnia (that seems to have passed) and general hip pain when I sleep.
• Do you have a name yet? We have a boy name and have had that for a while now. A girl name is a different story altogether. Still trying to work on that one.
• Any cravings? Not really, but I made this giant cookie with the girls last week and it seemed like the BEST cookie I had ever made. And I am pretty picky about my cookies. The girls loved that they got "pizza" slices of the cookie.

I found this recipe on My Kitchen Cafe -- love that site. The recipe is easy and it really takes no time to whip together. And, since it is one, giant cookie it is less time consuming to make. Also, since you melt the butter you don't have to plan ahead and wait for the butter to get to room temperature. Try it and let me know what you think!

Recipe from My Kitchen Cafe:

*Makes 1 giant cookie

1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, cream together the sugars and butter. Add the egg and vanilla and mix. Add the dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Line a large (11X17-inch) baking pan with foil and press the cookie into a circle. I press my cookie into a 9-inch circle, about 1/4 to 3/8-inch thick. When it bakes, it spreads to about 11 inches, which fits perfectly onto a 12-inch round cardboard circle you can find at most craft stores.

If desired, top the cookie with M&M’s or any other garnishes. Bake for 13-16 minutes until the cookie is lightly golden brown. Let the cookie cool completely on the baking pan – this helps the cookie stabilize and set so it can be easily lifted off the pan. Once cool, gently use the foil to lift the cookie off the pan.